Go Public Issue 6 December/January 2011/12

GO!PUBLIC

D e ce m b e r 2011 / J a nu a r y 2012

modern public sector architecture & design

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Contents 06 PUBLIC/PROPERTY – Educational Buildings 16 PUBLIC/PROPERTY – Healthcare Buildings 18 PUBLIC/OPINION – Manufacturers Have Their Say 22 PUBLIC/ANNOUNCEMENTS – News 26 PUBLIC/MARKET – Product News 34 PUBLIC/IMAGE – The Bigger Picture 40 PUBLIC/WORK – Project News

Ultrascape Provides First Class Sett In City Of Culture For full story see pages 52 www.instarmac.co.uk

www.go-public-mag.co.uk Published by Link2Media Building Publications Ltd Editorial Office Barn 3, Dunston Business Village, Stafford Road, Dunston, Stafford ST18 9AB Tel: 01785 711591 Fax: 0845 862 8639 e:info@link2media.co.uk www.link2media.co.uk

6 [ EDUCATIONAL BUILDINGS

A Study In Student Access Two Stannah Midilift SL vertical platform lifts are delivering access for all in new and improved leisure and educational facilities in City College Southampton, one of the top 10% of GFE colleges in the country for success rates.

Operating between two floors over a rise of 1650mm, a gated Midilift SL has helped mobility compromised staff and students of all ages to benefit from the 240-seat theatre area in the Hub - the brand-new, state-of-the-art campus focal point.

A second gated Midilift SL also covers two floors over a distance of 1350mm in an existing building rebuilt to create modern, high quality engineering and construction facilities.

Both Midilifts feature a full-height, glazed door at ground level with a half-height, glazed door, or ‘gate’, on the 1st-floor landing. This combination offers a flexible, cost-effective solution to installations with ceiling height restrictions.

As with all of Stannah’s Midilift SL vertical platform lifts, the gated version is hydraulically driven and provides an easy alternative to the stairs. The Midilift SL carries a rated load of 400kg up to a maximum of 6 metres at a speed of up to 0.15m/s.

Supplied with their own structure-supported enclosure, Midilifts do not require a pit or lifting beam and can be fitted with either steel or glass panels, or a combination of the two. Featuring straightforward, constant-pressure control operation, they are quick and easy to install with the minimum builders work, making them extremely cost-effective access solutions.

Available in a range of features and finishes, including three platform sizes, Midilifts are ideal for bringing equal access to retail, health, education, housing and public buildings where the installation of a conventional passenger lift isunnecessary, impractical or impossible.

Compliant with Part M (England&Wales) and Section 4.2 (Scotland) Building Regulations, the lifts also help Southampton City Council meet the requirements of the Equality Act 2010.

Stannah is also providing full support with both lifts being looked after by the Southern England branch of Stannah Lift Services. Part of Stannah’s nationwide network of service branches, the Christchurch branch is onhand 24/7, 365 days a year to keep the lifts in peak condition, ensuring that City College Southampton delivers total access to its full range of events and facilities.

Enquiry No 1

EDUCATIONAL BUILDINGS [ 7

www.stannah.com

8 [ EDUCATIONAL BUILDINGS

www.schoeck.co.uk

Creative Solutions From Schöck At New University Design Centre The new £14.7m East Park Design Centre at Loughborough University is a striking addition to the campus and the first project in a wider master plan for the modernisation of the mainly 1960’s East Park area.

A critical consideration in the design is the prevention of thermal bridging and its consequences. Quite apart from the regulatory need for a major reduction in local heat loss and CO2 emissions, there are other factors too. If low internal temperatures around the thermal bridge are below the dew point of the air, condensation will form. This in turn can lead to structural integrity problems with absorbent materials. Worse still, it encourages mould growth, which has serious implications for building occupants and may cause them to develop certain medical conditions such as respiratory problems and dermatitis.

The most sophisticated solution for the prevention of thermal bridging, in connective situations, is the market leading Isokorb® range of thermal break modules from Schöck. Quite apart from its unique design characteristics and outstanding thermal efficiency, it is a range with unrivalled application options. The Isokorb® allows connections to be made between concrete-to-concrete, concrete-to-steel and steelto-steel; with one of the modular connection types even allowing the retro-fitting of balconies in certain situations.

The East Park Design Centre is a concrete frame construction, and three variants of the Isokorb® range for connecting reinforced concrete-toreinforced concrete have been incorporated. The Isokorb® type Q30 has been installed to serve as a shear force transfer element where ‘cold’ external staircases or landings connect to an internal ‘warm’ structure in the building. The Isokorb® Q30 also has F90 fire protection.

Additional stability for the walls is required in certain areas of the new Design Centre and this is achieved through the incorporation

of standard HPC load bearing thermal insulation units, which are connected to the slab. Bespoke Isokorb® units complete the picture, designed to separate corbels attached to the internal slab. These three different solutions demonstrate that although the Isokorb® range is best known for its effectiveness at balcony and walkway connections, it performs equally well when other structural design features demand thermal separation.

The Isokorb® range comfortably exceeds the requirements of the UK regulation (BRE IP1/06) which stipulates that the temperature factor used to indicate condensation risk (fRSI), must be greater than, or equal to, 0.75 for dwellings, residential buildings and public buildings.

Also, there is compliance with the Government Standard Assessment Procedure, SAP 2009, concerning CO2 emissions from buildings and respectively heat losses through non-repeating thermal bridges. Here, the lambda values of the Schöck Isokorb® enable energy loss in various connective situations to be reduced by as much as 84% to 91%. All products provide BBA Certification and LABC Registration.

Enquiry No 2

EDUCATIONAL BUILDINGS [ 9

Steni Panels Play The Lord Of The Manor

Solar Powered Solution From Sunbell

Seven colours of rainscreen cladding panels from Steni UK have helped a new exemplar centre for the performing arts become a landmark for the community sooner rather than later. The Colour panels, in colours ranging from dark rich red through to a light yellow, were cut to size in Steni’s factory to save time on site, then installed in a stunning harlequin pattern to emphasise the main body of the new Creative Media Centre at the MCE Academy, a specialist Performing Arts College in York.

Steni’s cut-to-size capability means that panel sizes from 850mm to 3,500mm can be cut automatically to length at no extra cost and in section widths at a nominal charge. All contractors need to do then is attach the panels to the fixing system, either by screws or structural adhesive.

At MCE Academy, some 700m² of 595mm x 595mm squares of Steni Colour panels, which are manufactured from fibreglass reinforced polymer composite with a smooth surface of 100% acrylic that is electron beam cured without the use of solvents, were screw fixed by specialist sub-contractor Farracrest. www.steni.co.uk

Sunbell, Italy’s leading designers of interstitial blinds, has introduced an external solar photovoltaic option for their range of battery powered blinds. The solar panel is designed to improve the performance of the battery by extending to up to six months the period between recharging. Sunbell has also launched a ‘Remote’ control option allowing the user to control up to 12 blinds individually or as a group. Sunbell blinds are powered by a low-voltage motorised system with control technology that varies from the simple ‘up and down’ rechargeable battery unit with optional solar cell, to more sophisticated ‘hard wired’ options with remote activation for up to 12 blinds.

For manual control Sunbell offers a simple tilt only solution operated by a rotating knob linked by a steel cable allowing complete privacy without the need for cords or magnets.

Designed for all types of windows, doors and glass partitions, the Sunbell range includes a choice of stylish aluminum and fabric finishes including total blackout options. www.sunbell.it

Enquiry No 3

Orbis Classic For Iconic Midlands Primary School Laidlaw stainless steel door furniture has been specified for the £5.5M Christ Church C of E Primary School in Walsall. Ironmongery from the Orbis Classic range was selected by Seymour Harris Architecture for use in what has been described as an iconic and innovative building. The circular structure has achieved a BREEAM ‘Excellent’ rating. The radical design took a minimalist approach using curved section pull handles throughout. The Orbis Classic range was specified to complement white laminate and full height glazed doors with coloured etched glazing, all used to create a modern, sophisticated learning environment. Stylish door closers using Smoothline operation were installed with accessories which included kick plates, escutcheons, lock cylinders, hinges and electronic access control.

Architect Colin Way of Seymour Harris Architecture commented, “We have been priviledged to work with a client team which has been as keen as ourselves to challenge primary school design. Our overall aim, in executing an uncompromisingly modern response to the client brief for Christ Church Primary School, has been achieved through attention to detail. Selection of the ironmongery and the service provided by Laidlaw has been excellent” www.laidlaw.net Enquiry No 5

Enquiry No 4

10 [ EDUCATIONAL BUILDINGS

Fire Safety In Educational Facilities Fifty years ago this month (December), 323 people, many of them children, died in a circus fire in Brazil, which also made a hero of an elephant. It provides a graphic reminder that children can be most at risk when fire breaks out.

The Niteroi circus fire in December 1961, later proved to be arson by a disgruntled employee, was made worse by “children and adults, trampling each other in a desperate bid to reach the narrow passage” that was their only escape route, according to a contemporary newspaper report.

It could have been much worse if a performing elephant, frightened by the flames, hadn’t bolted, taking with it a large section of the blazing tent and saving a great many lives.

The circus fire underlines two important facts, today embedded into building codes in every developed country. One: any public building – even a temporary tent – must have clear and unobstructed escape routes. Two: where children are involved, and especially in schools, safety procedures must be rigorously applied and constantly practiced.

However, child-friendly fire safety doesn’t apply everywhere. There are still many schools in the developing world where building codes, or the means to enforce them, are less than adequate. In 2008, fire killed 19 girls in a boarding school in Uganda. In 2001, fire killed 59 boys at a school in Kenya. There are many other examples.

According to the Department for Education, more than 1,300 schools in the UK every year experience fires large enough to be attended by local authority fire and rescue services. Fifty-six per cent of these

are classed as non-accidental. The UK’s Arson Prevention Bureau suggests that some 20 schools and colleges are damaged or destroyed by arson every week – and those are just the ones attended by fire appliances and therefore make the statistical register.

Putting that into graphic context, earlier this year a fire broke out in the sixth form common room of a school in Ickenham, Middlesex.

The fire was quickly spotted, the emergency services were notified and the school was efficiently evacuated. Nobody was hurt. The school was well practiced in fire training and held regular fire drills.

Modern building regulations and fire safety procedures had worked.

However, the Ickenham fire owes a great deal to another school fire in 1958 on the other side of the Atlantic, and which hugely influenced how we look at fire safety in schools in the UK today. This happened at the Our Lady of the Angels School in Chicago, back in an era where fire and building regulations in Europe and the USA were less stringent.

The American school legally complied with municipal and state fire codes and was well-maintained. However, those codes did not address such issues as fire escapes – the school had only one. Nor were there fire doors, an automatic fire alarm, heat detectors, or a direct alarm connection to the fire department.

In addition, while the building did have a brick exterior to prevent fire spreading to adjacent buildings, its interior was made almost entirely of wood – including stairs, walls and floors. There were flammable ceiling tiles on the roof and floors had been polished many times with petroleum-based waxes.

EDUCATIONAL BUILDINGS [ 11

www.wrightstyle.co.uk

The fire started in the basement and smouldered undetected for up to 30 minutes, gradually heating the stairwell until a window at the bottom of the stairwell shattered, giving the incipient fire a new oxygen supply. The wooden staircase then burst into flames, sending hot gases, fire, and smoke up to the school above.

By then, students and teachers in one wing of the school on the second floor were trapped, although many didn’t yet know the building was on fire. Making matters worse, not only were there no fire doors, ordinary corridor doors had been propped open, allowing more oxygen to reach the flames. Indeed, two doors had been chained open.

As the fire intensified, pipes in the building burst, allowing superheated gases to travel further upwards, until flashover occurred in the school’s attic, sending flames unchecked through roof spaces and into classrooms. By then, smoke, heat and fire had cut off escape routes and dozens were forced to jump from upstairs windows.

After the Our Lady of the Angels School fire, the president of the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) said that “there are no new lessons to be learned from this fire; only old lessons that tragically went unheeded.”

But in the fire’s wake, sweeping changes to school fire safety regulations were enacted nationwide, with fire investigators also coming from the UK – and taking valuable lessons back to Britain, which directly influenced fire safety in UK schools. Ickenham School owes much to Our Lady of the Angels.

The cause of the Chicago fire was never officially determined, although

a 10-year-old boy did confess some years later, also admitting to starting other fires. However, he took back his confession, was never prosecuted, and died in 2004.

Nowadays, the lessons learned from Chicago – and elsewhere – are built into robust building and fire safety regulations, and companies such as Wrightstyle continue to invest in the design and testing of glass and steel glazing systems to translate educational fire safety into beautiful, practical and safe internal glass screens or external curtain walling.

But sometimes, when tragic anniversaries come round, it’s good to remember why and how those regulations came about. The Our Lady of the Angels fire cost the lives of 92 children and three teaching staff.

Another 100 were injured, many seriously. Even the Pope sent his condolences.

Enquiry No 6

12 [ EDUCATIONAL BUILDINGS

ABET Provides A Colourful Change

Alu-Timber Is School’s Flexible Friend Alu-Timber and their approved fabricator, Alliance Design Limited, recently worked on a new build school in Bristol which replaced an existing school building. Alu-Timber, from The Parkside Group Ltd., was specified due to the flexibility it offers. All profiles are kept in stock which means challenging site deadlines can always be met. The extensive range of profiles create options for large glazed framing areas which integrate seamlessly with Alu-Timber windows and doors. The complete Alu-Timber range includes casement, tilt & turn windows, open-in and open-out doors, framing and curtain walling. All Alu-Timber approved fabricators are required to have the technical expertise to attend presite meetings and provide detailing. Alliance Design liaised closely with the specifiers to provide design advice and detailing which ensured the project ran smoothly and met site deadlines. www.alutimber.co.uk

The new Student Resource Centre at the Cambridge Veterinary School, University of Cambridge, is supported by hundreds of colourful lockers surfaced with compact grade laminate from ABET LAMINATI. Designers Saunders Boston cleverly specified the colours to delineate different areas of the locker room.

Blue is used to signify the ‘dirty side’ while green is used for the ‘clean side’. This ensures that the sterile side of the facility is kept as hygienic as possible. Abet’s compact grade material is manufactured complete with black core in standard sheet sizes of 3660x1610mm; larger 4200x1610/1860mm sizes are available to special order. Different finishes are available to give the top surface excellent resistance to superficial daily wear, such as fingermarking, through to damage from graffiti, abrasion and impact. www.abetuk.com Enquiry No 8

Enquiry No 7

Hingham Primary School Are Proud Owners Of Their Honka Log Building From Logwise Logwise Ltd, the official agents for Honkarakenne Oyj (Honka) in the UK have recently supplied a bespoke log building for Hingham Primary School in Norfolk.

Timberville Ltd, who are the Logwise agents in East Anglia, were originally approached by a local village school in Cromer that wanted to replace their tired old mobile unit with a new log cabin to be used as a pre-school building. Logwise were provided with a concept plan for the building which was altered and amended by their Honka trained designer. The new design proved so popular that Norfolk County Council Education Department enquired about 5 such buildings.

Hingham Primary School are now the proud owners of their Honka log building for the playgroup. The building itself has been constructed from one of Honka’s laminated logs at 112mm wide. There is an additional insulation wall structure with Warmcel recycled newspaper insulation which helps to ensure the building is as sustainable as possible. Construction was carried out by one of the Finnish teams that Logwise operate around the country, under the supervision of the main contractors T Gill & Sons from Norwich. Speed of build was one of the deciding factors for Norfolk Property Services in choosing Logwise to supply the building, and with the log kit being erected in less than a week, their decision was justified. www.logwise.co.uk Enquiry No 9

EDUCATIONAL BUILDINGS [ 13

RMIG Gives The Big Picture To New Music Building At Danish School A new music studies building at Skansevejens School in Denmark incorporates a unique façade, which uses precision perforated steel from RMIG to depict large photographic quality images of children singing, dancing and playing musical instruments. Designed by leading Danish architects and consultants Kærsgaard & Andersen and located at Nørresundby in the Aalborg region of Demark, the interior of the new 200m2 music facility incorporates well-equipped rehearsal rooms, classrooms and dance areas to provide a dedicated teaching space with a clear focus on music.

RMIG worked closely with the architects to create the complex pattern of perforations needed to render the images accurately on the cladding, which was manufactured using a series of 2.0mm thick hot dip galvanised mild steel panels. The original images were scanned and processed using special software at RMIG to create a unique perforation programme that generated the detailed punch sequence. RMIG produced all of the images on the 6.0 metre high by 10 metre wide façade by using circular perforations ranging in diameter from 8.0mm to 20.0mm. Each of the 32 panels that make up the design was produced in sequence so that when installed, they would combine to make the eye-catching exterior. To ensure the images were clearly defined and easy to see, the perforated panels were mounted in front of a black background to create the effect of viewing a large monochrome image. www.rmig.com Enquiry No 10

Alumasc Rainwater Systems Deliver Old School Values Heritage Aluminium rainwater systems from Alumasc have been used in the remodelling of an historic school building in Surrey. Oxted School was opened in 1929 as Surrey’s first mixed grammar school. Today it is a secondary school, serving over 2,000 pupils aged 11–18. The original building boasts imposing architectural features but over the years the rainwater system had undergone a number of different repairs using a mix of steel and plastic guttering. In 2011, Surrey County Council took steps to replace the entire rainwater system with a high performance modern system that would complement Oxted’s character.

Alumasc Heritage Aluminium provided a low maintenance solution comprising of beaded half round gutters and 76mm round downpipes in black, to create a period look in keeping with the age and style of the building. Alumasc Heritage Aluminium is an excellent solution for sensitive refurbishment, offering a comprehensive range of BBA Approved traditional gutter profiles, round, square and rectangular pipes and all associated fittings and accessories. Designed to provide all the essential architectural features appropriate to traditional buildings, Heritage is also fully in tune with modern, fast track building contracts. The system is available in plain mill finish or in the Raincote range of BBA Approved powder coatings in a wide range of colours. www.alumascrainwater.co.uk Enquiry No 11

14 [ EDUCATIONAL BUILDINGS

BBES Scheme Achieves World’s Highest Design Stage BREEAM Rating A £30.4million student accommodation building, built by GB Building Solutions in partnership with mechanical and electrical contractor Balfour Beatty Engineering Services (BBES) has just been awarded the highest ever Design Stage BREEAM rated building in the world with a ground-breaking score of 95.05%.

Featuring pre‐fabricated open panel timber wall frames, with materials from sustainable sources, the design delivered a highly efficient building envelope which minimises the need for space heating. Bathroom pods were sourced locally and craned into place as completed units to maximise productivity and reduce waste.

Built for Listerhills Limited, a joint venture between the Hayaat Group and Welbeck Land, and managed by Mi7, The Green contains 1,026 bedrooms across six and seven storey apartments and four storey townhouses. Designed

by GWP Architecture, the project was completed in just 84 weeks, finishing on schedule despite being built through the worst winter on record.

As part of the scheme, BBES delivered a £6 million M&E package.

This included a rainwater harvesting system, a CHP (Combined heat and Power) system and a hot water system that utilises solar thermal collectors. In addition, BBES installed all ventilation, underground site services, including gas, water, electricity and district heating, as well fire alarms, CCTV, data and TV cabling, an access control system and the BMS (Building Management System).

“We are delighted The Green has become the world’s highest ever Design Stage BREEAM rated building,” commented Andy Lawrence, Project Engineer at BBES. “This was a very challenging project, due to the scale of this project and the sheer number of rooms, but its

EDUCATIONAL BUILDINGS [ 15

www.bbesl.com

successful completion is testimony to the efforts of the project team and further illustrates BBES’s commitment to delivering sustainable schemes.”

Martin Smout, chairman and chief executive of GB Building Solutions, said: “GB Building Solutions are delighted to be at the forefront of the construction industry in delivering the highest scoring BREEAM assessed building ever in any category. This has been achieved through innovative design, attention to detail and full integration of the team with clear focus and passion for what can be achieved. It clearly demonstrates the ‘art of the possible’ in mitigating the impact of buildings on the environment and I hope stimulates greater demand for sustainable buildings in the future.”

Now complete, The Green includes a wide range of internal sustainable features that will teach students how to live in an environmentally sustainable way. Bradford University will also operate a financial rebate system for student residents who are most careful with their energy usage.

The Green is the initial phase of the Bradford Learning Quarter, a key regeneration area of Bradford city centre. Mi7 has already made progress on the next phase within the Learning Quarter which is set to deliver further student accommodation and also attract occupiers from the retail, health, fitness and private nursery sector.

The combined investment in The Green and the Listerhills Triangle is set to exceed £100m and will transform an area much in need of regeneration, as well as deliver numerous economic benefits in the local area.

Enquiry No 12

16 [ HEALTHCARE BUILDINGS

Pegler Yorkshire Has The Touch!

According to experts 80% of infectious diseases are transferred by touch, and the most frequently touched surfaces can be contaminated with anywhere from several hundred to over ten thousand infectious bacteria. Pegler Yorkshire has developed an innovative range of taps for the healthcare sector using Antimicrobial Copper. The range boasts the Antimicrobial Copper Cu+ mark, which signifies the products are capable of continuously killing pathogenic microbes even in between cleans. Antimicrobial Copper is inherently antimicrobial through and through.

Even when such surfaces are scratched, their antimicrobial efficacy continues to work. Pegler Yorkshire has combined this technology with a selection of its Performa range of healthcare taps and mixers. The antimicrobial range of taps sit alongside other products that conform to the Health Technical Memorandum, such as Thermostatic Mixing Valves (TMV). www.pegleryorkshire.co.uk Enquiry No 13

New Medical Centre Protected By Nittan Nittan has had its first UK installation of the new EV-PS analogue addressable photoelectric smoke sensor with built in sounder, installed into a new, medical centre in Bridgwater, Somerset. To provide the new medical centre with the latest fire protection, Fullstop Fire and Security has installed a fire detection system featuring Evolution EV-PS sensors from Nittan. The Evolution EV-PS optical smoke sensor comes with the sounder fully integrated within the sensor itself. Even with its compact size, the EV-PS still incorporates the latest sophisticated alarm technology for exceptional reliability and performance, including ASIC design, EEPROM addressable capability, low monitoring current and a chemically etched stainless steel insect screen to reduce ingress of insects and airborne contaminants. www.nittan.co.uk

Ambulance Stations Benefit From Ash & Lacy Emergency Treatment Ash & Lacy Building Systems has proved invaluable to several ambulance stations in Yorkshire that have all undergone refurbishments or re-roofing projects.

AshJack flat to pitched roofing system was the perfect solution to eradicate the long term water ingress problems that were affecting all the sites.

Abbey Construction Consultants worked alongside Yorkshire Ambulance Service on the stations, all of which are flat-roofed. .

AshJack provides a permanent weather-tight solution for a wide range of failed flat roofs. Furthermore, AshJack is highly cost effective and comes into its own when meeting the very tight budgets of refurbishment projects, whether for the public or private sector. In this case it allowed remedial work to be carried out rather than incurring the costs of a completely new roof. www.ashandlacey.com Enquiry No 16

Enquiry No 14

Leaderflush Shapland Doorsets For UK’s Greenest Hospital 756 doorsets from Leaderflush Shapland’s Designer, Extended Performance, Plasform & Sentinel ranges were specified for London’s Great Ormond Street Hospital recent £343m redevelopment programme. Extended Performance Vulcan range doorsets were specified in certain areas to achieve prolonged fire resistance levels of up to 120 minutes and sound reduction levels of up to 30 RwdB. All materials used in the manufacture of Leaderflush Shapland doorsets are either FSC accredited or verified, legal and sustainable. With hygiene being such an important consideration in hospitals, all veneered doorsets incorporate Hygienilac within the lacquer as standard. Plasform doorsets are also ideal for healthcare environments; their rounded postformed edges minimise the build up of airborne particles and can be easily wiped or washed clean. Sentinel, Leaderflush Shapland’s hand and finger protection doorset was also specified. www.leaderflushshapland.co.uk Enquiry No 15

New Purpose-Built Haemodialysis Unit At Plymouth Hospital Constructed Off Site, Exceeds Part L 2010 By 90 Per Cent Yorkon has handed over a new purpose-built satellite haemodialysis unit for Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust.

In independent tests for air permeability, the building exceeds Building Regulations Part L 2010 by 90 per cent without any adaptation to the standard Yorkon building system. The 954sqm single-storey building was constructed to a challenging programme and comprises 27 steel-framed modules which were craned into position in just four days. Designed by Yorkon, the centre features cedar wood cladding to the main entrance elevation, a blue fascia with co-ordinating blue doors and windows, and white render to the other façades. www.yorkon.info Enquiry No 17

HEALTHCARE BUILDINGS [ 17

Splendid Isolation: Ballofix From Pegler Yorkshire

Klober Airtightness Products For CSH / BREEAM Dementia Care Centre A £3.5M scheme to provide accommodation for those with early stage dementia has seen Klober’s Wallint 50 Air Barrier used with Solar-Line airtightness accessories. The residential wing has been built to CSH Level 4 and the non-residential area to a BREEAM ‘Very Good’ rating. Phil Goffin of Brown Smith Baker explained, “We wanted an air barrier/VCL to meet a minimum vapour resistance of 250 MN/sg provided by Wallint 50. It was installed on the warm side of rafters behind plaster stops in conjunction with Klober’s Pasto Sealant and Permo TR Tape. Pipe work penetrations were sealed using the Solar-Line Sealing Collar. www.klober.co.uk

The new expanded Ballofix range from Pegler Yorkshire includes everything from the latest lockable push and press fittings, through to modern filter valves – a range that proudly offers state of the art isolating service valves. The latest lockable valves provide the perfect tamper proof solution for a wide range of public buildings and are sure to prove popular among local authorities and others who rely on such products such as hospitals, schools and care homes. Ballofix Lockable has a tamperproof lock on the top section of the valve that allows the valve to be operated only when the key is turned. A master key means that only one key is required to operate several locks, making the valves easy to operate for scheduled maintenance or authorised employees. Designed to offer system protection against potential damage caused by debris in the pipework, Ballofix filter valves are highly effective. www.pegleryorkshire.co.uk Enquiry No 19

Enquiry No 18

Encasement Column Casings Feature At New Blackpool Health Centre The innovative Moor Park Health Centre in Blackpool, which combines primary care medical facilities and a state of the art fitness centre in the same building, is using a range of column casings from Encasement to conceal structural columns, including a unique seven metre high elliptical casing which is a key feature in the main entrance foyer.

The recently opened £15 million centre not only brings together three GP surgery practices, originally located on separate sites, but also houses a new 44 station gym and fitness centre alongside an existing swimming pool and a new extensive ground floor library.

Designed by architects, the West Hart Partnership and constructed by Pochin plc, one of the UK’s leading contractors, Encasement supplied 26 Circa preformed plywood column casings to the project, together with the custom made elliptical Polyma GRP (glass reinforced polymer) casing used at the main entrance.

Finished in a high gloss white and measuring 1.8m x 0.4m, the elliptical casing is extremely durable and resistant to damage, yet provides a striking aesthetic feature to Moor Park’s spacious reception area while complementing the contemporary design, which also incorporates hanging sculptures and a mural.

Encasement’s Circa plywood casings, which are a combination of 350mm and 450mm diameter units, are finished in a highly durable white laminate with contrasting low level skirting detail and are used on the ground floor health and fitness centre as well as the first floor GP surgery practices in the consulting room waiting areas. www.encasement.co.uk Enquiry No 20

18 [ OPINION

Article By: Colin Nessfield, Interpave Secretary

MAKING SUDS MAINSTREAM

Sustainable drainage systems (SUDS) will soon become mandatory and, as the most versatile of SUDS techniques, concrete block permeable paving is set to become a key element for hard surfaces and landscaping. But creation of a possible legal loophole, enabling developers to avoid using SUDS, are unnecessary and must be resisted says the trade association Interpave.

The Flood and Water Management Act 2010 is in place and applies to all new roads and other paving as well as buildings, whatever the size, type or scale of project. When the Act takes effect - following publication of new National Standards for SUDS - construction works cannot start until drainage systems have been approved by ‘SUDS Approving Bodies’ (SABs). In the case of concrete block permeable paving, detailed guidance is already available from Interpave on design, detailing, construction and maintenance - based on long-term, extensive international experience. SABs will be obliged to adopt all approved drainage systems except those on single properties and public highways.

Wide-ranging application The Act will apply to any construction work that creates a building or other structure, including “anything that covers land (such as a patio or other surface)”, that will affect the ability of land to absorb rainwater. Projects of all types will have to comply, including any alterations that have drainage implications. So, the Act could apply to work that does not need planning permission and, because the Act is unconnected with planning law, current ‘permitted development’ rules do not provide exemption for homeowners either.

Worryingly, recent reports indicate that provisions within the SUDS National Standards, currently being prepared by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), could include a ‘get-out clause’. It has been suggested that

OPINION [ 19

this might allow developers to use alternative drainage methods where they can demonstrate that SUDS would be ‘disproportionately expensive’.

Quite how this is to be demonstrated remains unclear with the continuing delay in publication of the National Standards themselves.

Defence against flooding This suggestion flies in the face of the coalition administration’s intent of being “the greenest government ever”. If implemented, it would also significantly reduce our ability to defend against a repeat of the widespread flooding events seen in recent years, where increased urbanisation and climate change have led to the sewer network being overwhelmed. The 2010 Flood and Water Management Act, which makes SUDS mandatory, takes on board several of the recommendations of the Pitt Review into the major floods in 2007. It is an essential component in the fight against repeats of these flooding events and their cost in both financial terms and human suffering.

The suggested loophole is also unnecessary given the cost-effectiveness of properly designed SUDS schemes, particularly those incorporating concrete block permeable paving. Independent research commissioned

by Interpave found that: “concrete block permeable pavements proved the most effective paving solution over 40 years” when using a whole life costing analysis. It also demonstrated that fully infiltrating permeable paving had the lowest initial costs wherever it could be used, when compared with various other impermeable paving materials using concrete block permeable paving with conventional drainage systems.

Concrete block permeable paving is particularly useful as a source control at the head of the SUDS management train, reducing peak rate, total volume and frequency of rainwater runoff, and is very effective at removing water-borne pollution - unlike attenuation tanks. It is one of the most space efficient SUDS components available and does not require any additional land-take, making it an ideal solution for higher-density developments.

Permeable paving deals with surface water where rainfall hits the ground. So, conventional kerbs, channels and gulleys are not necessary for water transfer and it is easier to create well-drained, firm and slip-resistance shared surfaces, as encouraged by Manual for Streets. It meets current accessibility requirements and also eliminates ‘ponding’, reducing the risk of ice forming on the surface and avoiding rain splashing from standing water.

Sustainable alternative Permeable paving simply provides a sustainable alternative to conventional paving with piped drainage, but on the same footprint. Concrete block permeable paving uses established engineering technology and has predictable performance characteristics proven over decades in the UK and abroad, demonstrating a minimal maintenance requirement. Research and experience has shown that silting-up of the permeable jointing material over time is not a problem where correct construction techniques have been used, even without maintenance. Of course, there are no gulleys, manholes, petrol interceptors or hidden drainage pipes to inspect and maintain.

Apart from the Flood and Water Management Act, there is wide ranging encouragement to use SUDS techniques such as concrete block permeable paving. Government planning policy guidance throughout the UK already requires SUDS on all developments wherever possible, as does the new draft National Planning Policy Framework document. SUDS is also an important component of both the Code for Sustainable Homes and BREEAM 2011.

A summary of the cost comparison research and the latest information on all aspects of concrete block permeable paving and SUDS can be downloaded from www.paving.org.uk

20 [ OPINION

Article By: Andrew Peacock, Product Development Director, Energyflo Construction Technologies Ltd

WHAT IS DYNAMIC INSULATION?

Most people in the construction industry think they know what thermal insulation is and how it works: it’s the prevention of heat loss from a building by the installation of a layer of low-conductivity material containing myriad air-spaces through which heat energy does not easily travel.

OPINION [ 21

Just as the coffee in your Thermos will go cold if you leave it long enough, thermal insulation cannot actually prevent the ultimate loss of heat energy from a building. All it can do is slow it down. Heat energy is constantly seeping through the fabric of even the most heavily-insulated building. The received wisdom is that to minimise the rate of heat loss; all you can do is increase the thickness of the insulating layer. Yet there is another option: suppose you intercept this energy as it makes its escape – and literally pump it back into the building?

This is now possible thanks to the development of dynamic insulation – a revolutionary step forward in energy efficiency pioneered by the Energyflo product development team. Most insulation systems comprise various thicknesses of layers of material which is of uniform density all the way through. This is true of mineral wool, expanded polystyrene beads, EPS batts, natural sheep’s wool – in fact, all traditional systems.

Dynamic insulation, which can be made from a variety of products, is manufactured with carefully-designed voids running through it. These are air circulation ducts through which cold air is drawn into the building by the ventilation system.

Today’s Building Regulations contain strict air-permeability requirements as part of the Part L provisions for conserving heat and power. Cold draughts will quickly rob any building of warmth if they can find a way past its thermal insulation layer and this is why Part L requires air-tightness. A completely air-tight building will quickly become stuffy, humid and damp, so ventilation is essential. Traditional ventilation systems draw cold air directly into the building and this air must be heated to prevent the interior of the building falling in temperature. This requires energy.

Dynamic insulation warms the incoming air using the heat escaping from the building through the insulating layer.

This has no effect on the efficiency of the insulation but it can raise the temperature of the incoming air by as much as 8ºC. Thus energy which would otherwise escape from the building is used to warm incoming air without the need for any additional energy consumption. The Energyflo product development team demonstrated an increase in energy efficiency of 25% over traditional insulation methods.

For builders and developers, this not only improves energy efficiency but it also reduces the necessary thickness of insulation in the walls of the house, increasing the available interior space and reducing material consumption. This novel technique, still relatively new to the industry, has already proven its value and the Dynamic insulation technology has been licensed to leading insulation manufacturers which are now producing their own systems on a commercial basis.

In a recent case study where two dwellings were built with dynamic insulation, alongside dwellings with conventional insulation, excellent findings were reported within the dynamically insulated dwellings:38% saving in space heating gas consumption 34% reduction in CO2 emissions A reduction in condensation risk and healthier indoor air quality A dynamic U value of 0.102 W/m2K A reduction in heat loss The use of thin walls – 145mm studs As we approach the deadline for Level 4 of the Code for Sustainable Homes, dynamic insulation will prove a great advantage, allowing designers to achieve this level of carbon reduction using fabric-only methods. www.energyflo.co.uk

22 [ NEWS

Technal Announced As Corporate Partner To The Guggenheim Museum Foundation In Bilbao

Rigisystems Launches New Economy Range Of Profiled Cladding

Technal has been announced as a corporate partner of the Guggenheim Museum Foundation in Bilbao. This latest affiliation is part of Technal’s commitment to creating strategic partnerships that reflect its passion for architecture, design, creativity and innovation. The Guggenheim Museum Bilbao was designed by Frank Gehry and is a magnificent example of ground-breaking architecture. With more than 90 exhibitions showcasing contemporary art and over 10 million visitors to date, the Guggenheim in Bilbao is credited with changing the way the world thinks about museums, and it continues to challenge assumptions about the connections between art and architecture. www.technal.co.uk

Designed to meet the increasing demand for costeffective profiled cladding, RigiSystems S-Type Economy profiles are suitable for both roof and wall applications.

They offer very flexible design options, can be smooth or crimp curved and are available with a range of profiled closure pieces, flashings and mitred units.

Available materials include steel and aluminium, and the S-Type Economy is available with the full range of RigiSystems paint finishes as well as mill finish aluminium. The traditional yet stylish look of these profiles, combined with extremely competitive pricing, makes them ideally suited to contemporary cladding requirements. www.rigisystems.org

Enquiry No 21

600 VEKA Windows Ordered For Fuel-Efficient Housing VEKA customer Glaze4trade and Network VEKA member Delta Plastics have won the contract to supply and install the windows on a new-build housing estate in Dorset. The unusual part? It is the largest ‘passive housing’ estate in the UK. Delta’s MD Philip Chick explains: “A big part of the insulation process these houses require is triple glazing, which we were able to install with the help of our supplier Glaze4trade. We have worked with Lomand Homes, the developer, on several smaller jobs in the past and they were always pleased with the quality of our materials and workmanship. It was on this basis that they asked us to tender for the project. Upon completion, we will have fitted in excess of 600 windows. The high-spec VEKA windows they produce were very important to us obtaining the contract.” www.vekauk.com

Enquiry No 24

Enquiry No 22

Hot Stuff - New PVCu Clad Glazing Bead Product From Yeoman Shield

Latest Videx Product Builder CD Released

Yeoman Shield has launched the Yeoman Shield PVCu Clad Door Glazing Bead. The hardwood PVCu clad glazing bead provides an innovative solution to protecting exposed timber glazing beads which are vulnerable to damage and is an essential addition for new doors and a cost effective replacement for damaged doors. As the glazing bead forms part of the integrity of fire doors, research carried out by Yeoman Shield resulted in an effective method to protect the beads which has undergone stringent fire testing to both EN and BS standards for use on either ½ hour or 1 hour doors without affecting or compromising the fire door. www.yeomanshield.com

Videx Security’s Product Builder CD has made it simple for designers, specifiers and installers to create customised door entry systems. The CD has been continually improved to help customers find information and parts lists for Videx Systems easily.

Version 7.2 of this popular free tool is now available and includes all the latest releases of new products, datasheets and manuals. The CD also includes photos, wiring diagrams, dimensions, datasheets, prices, product instructions and parts lists. In the kit section, the user can not only identify a specific product but can also expand the chosen system with addition of doors, telephones or video handsets. A complete parts list can then be viewed and the required installation manual can be printed. www.videx-security.com

Enquiry No 23

Enquiry No 25

Enquiry No 26

Delivering Tomorrow’s Energy Efficiency... today RockShell is a patented modular wall system that meets future energy efficiency requirements, today. An innovative system for constructing the load bearing walls of low-rise buildings, RockShell combines the requirements for sustainable lightweight constructions with optimal energy performance, efficient installation processes and high levels of technical support.

Call: +44 (0) 1656 868 400 Email: rockshell@rockwool.co.uk Visit: www.rockshell.uk.com

Use RockShell to benefit from:  Typical U-Value of 0.14  Passivhaus Inst. certified  Minimised thermal bridges  Increased air-tightness  Reduced wall thickness  Increased speed of build

24 [ NEWS

Fire Doors Explained – February Sold Out Already Almost as soon as the 2012 details were released online, the 28th February date for Chiltern International Fire’s one-day training course ‘Fire Doors Explained’ sold out. The CPD-certified seminar, which covers steel, composite and timber fire doors, has always proved popular, but this year’s interest in the course has ‘surpassed all expectations’. Further dates for 2012 are 17th April, 27th June, 19th September, 17th October and 21st November. The cost is unchanged at £310 + VAT (standard) with a discounted rate of £275 + VAT for TRADA and BM TRADA Q-Mark members. The course takes place at CIF’s High Wycombe headquarters. For provisional BM TRADA Q-Mark Fire Door Registered Installers, half-day seminars will take place on 29th February, 18th April, 28th June, 20th September, 18th October and 22nd November.

Book online at www.chilternfire.co.uk/training Enquiry No 27

KAC Manual Call Points For Legacy Mains Voltage Fire Systems The latest addition to KAC’s range of manual call points for specialist applications is the MCP6V, an indoor call point for flush or surface mounting that will switch up to 2A at 240VAC mains voltage. Whilst the overwhelming majority of fire systems in Europe and around the world operate at 24VDC, there are a significant number of legacy mains voltage systems still in commission. These systems are located primarily in the Far East or in countries that have recently joined the EU, and they require continuing support for routine maintenance and replacement of devices. The MCP6V is a specially terminated unit fitted with a mains voltage microswitch. Externally identical in size and user interface with the normal low voltage version, it features warning signs, visible when the operating cassette is removed, to alert installers and service engineers to the presence of high voltage. www.kac.co.uk

New POLYX®-OIL 2K Pure Protects Flooring Like No Other Osmo UK, has added another product to its ultrasuccessful Polyx®-Oil Range – a new two-part hardwax oil, designed for professional use, and offering even more protection for wooden flooring, without compromising the appearance and beauty of the wood. Osmo Polyx®-Oil 2K Pure is a high quality solvent (and water) free Hardwax-Oil for professional fitters and users, ideal for all parquet and solid wood floors in accordance with DIN 18356.

The treatment comprises natural vegetable oils and waxes with additional water repellent additives to allow greater protection of the wood.

Available in clear, satin-matt, one litre covers approx.

30 - 40 m². The solution is fast-drying so that the flooring can be walked upon after only 4 hours, with full strength and resilience after 24 hours. www.osmouk.com Enquiry No 30

Enquiry No 28

Smart Proud To Support Children’s Hospice Portaloo Launches Multi-Faith Toilet And Washing Facilities Portaloo, part of the Portakabin Group, has launched a specially designed range of multi-faith toilet and washing facilities. The Portaloo Natural and Purity buildings have been developed in response to an increase in demand for ‘natural position’ toilet buildings and wudu washing facilities. The new Portaloo Natural building provides hygienic natural position/squat toilets which have a range of features a raised platform with integral drainage for ease of cleaning, non-slip vinyl flooring which is both safe and hygienic. Portaloo Purity provides private and respectful wudu cleansing facilities used for the Islamic ritual to prepare for formal prayers. The building is a spacious selfcontained unit that caters separately for both male and female users. It incorporates a easy-to-clean stainless steel fixtures, individual washing stations, dedicated entrance doors and separate areas for male and female users. Ergonomically designed seating for all heights, push-button water control designed to minimise water consumption. www.portanews.co.uk Enquiry No 29

The management and staff at Smart Systems Limited based in Yatton, North Somerset got into the spirit of Christmas this year by donating £2000 to the Charlton Farm centre of the Children’s Hospice South West. “A lot of money is spent each Christmas by companies sending corporate cards and gifts. Each Christmas for the last few years we’ve decided to do something different and to use those funds to support a local charity”, Eddie Robinson, Smarts Managing Director, explains. “The idea was discussed with the staff and the Children’s Hospice South West at Charlton Farm chosen as our beneficiary. We are proud to be able to help support the incredible work the care team at Charlton Farm do for families with children who have life threatening or life limiting conditions.” www.chsw.org.uk Enquiry No 31

NEWS [ 25

www.bis.fm

Renting Can Be Cost Effective Mandatory testing procedures proliferate especially when safety is concerned and the instruments that make them possible are becoming increasingly expensive and technically involved. For a small or medium-sized business [or even for a large company if an infrequently used process is involved] the cost of purchasing such equipment and training staff to operate it often becomes prohibitive.

As Alan Gilbert of BSRIA Instrument Solutions explains, the option of hiring from experts who fully understand the testing equipment and are used to its calibration and operation is frequently preferable, not only preventing heavy outlay in machinery that is only occasionally used, but also saving staff time in producing speedy, accurate results.

One example would be the availability of a sound level meter, necessary for several testing functions in the manufacturing and construction industries. Alan Gilbert explains “A middle-of-the-range Class 1 meter with octave bands costs upwards of £3,000 and it may only be needed very occasionally. From a company such as BSRIA Instrument Solutions it will cost you around £150 to hire this instrument for a week, ample time for the necessary testing procedures. On top of that you know that it will be set up by professionals ready for use on delivery, that calibration certification is readily available and that the instrument has been properly maintained and not produced from the back of a cupboard having been last used a year ago. Hiring gives peace of mind as well as saving capital outlay.”

Enquiry No 32

26 [ PRODUCT NEWS

RAK Rimless WC’s Join Compact Bathroom Range RAK Ceramics has introduced a range of new WRAS-approved Rimless WC’s.

Part of RAK’s popular Compact bathroom collection, the new range includes six toilets which feature a small footprint and curved design. In addition to standard formats for hygiene-conscious consumers, three extended projections are available for wheelchair users, in both back-to-wall and closecoupled designs. All models comply to the Department of Health’s HTM64 Standard and will be showcased at KBB Birmingham 2012, from 4-7 March (Stand No. E95). Combining quality, contemporary styling and practicality, RAK’s Rimless format eliminates the need for a hidden rim or channel. On flushing, water is fired from three separate jets, ensuring that the whole surface of the pan is flushed, both vertically and horizontally. As germs cannot collect under a rim, the completely visible surface is easy to clean and the need to direct cleaning products under hidden channels is eliminated, saving the consumer money as well as improving hygiene levels. All RAK Rimless models also offer a soft close wrap-over toilet seat. Compact, close-coupled hands-free options are also available, which feature Cistermiser sensorcontrolled water managed systems, as well as models with hidden cisterns and support mechanisms. www.rakceramics.co.uk Enquiry No 33

A Bathroom For All Situations: Flexible Design From Pressalit Care To Save You Money High quality bathrooms for residential care homes which actually save you money in the long run? It sounds too good to be true, but Pressalit Care are confident that care home managers, developers and architects will be rewarded for their long term investment by a variety of benefits, stemming from unique design, offering the flexibility to meet the changing needs of the people who use them.

Pressalit Care’s bathroom products work on a horizontal track system, as well as being height adjustable in many cases, making it easy for both users and carers to adapt the layout according to their specific requirements. Their design and detail make it easy to furnish a functional bathroom without compromising on either quality or comfort. Toilet support arms, shower chairs, handrails and wash basins – all can be adjusted to the specific needs of the user and to make life easy for the carer.

A Pressalit Care bathroom future proofs against the need for further adaptations – especially with multiple and/or unknown users. Many institutions say that they now look after people with different needs compared with five or ten years ago, and so flexibility is key.

Pressalit Care bathrooms are space efficient, meaning larger bathroom layouts can be accommodated in smaller areas than before.

The flexibility of Pressalit Care bathrooms increases the independence of users, allowing carer resource to be used more effectively. www.pressalit.com Enquiry No 34

PRODUCT NEWS [ 27

www.shopkit.com

Introducing Trackit, A New Suspension System From The Shopkit Group TracKit, is an extremely versatile track suspension system providing mobility and flexibility to the presentation of banners and graphics, sliding panels/room dividers, shelving and clothing displays. Trackit can facilitate different types of elements to be hung at different heights along straight or curved sections of track and repositioned easily and is proving to be a popular display solution for Receptions, Galleries, Retail interiors, Window displays, Home, Hotels and the rest of the Leisure industry.

TracKit can be wall or ceiling fixed and is available with a choice of single, twin or triple tracks, enabling the design of multi-track installations, giving displays the potential for depth and innovation.

This system offers static and mobile suspension options, via a roller wheel, which allows for easy re-positioning of complex displays and shelving as well as large panels and room dividers etc, by simply sliding

the roller wheels along the track. The suspension track is available in both aluminium and stainless steel and there are six different support methods that can be hung from the track, each with a vast array of accessories and Shopkit can help determine which is most suitable for each application.

Made to Measure and Installation options available The dimensions and material finishes of the different suspension systems and accessories can be varied to suit clients’ requirements and Shopkit can deliver and install all elements within this range quotations will be supplied on request.

Enquiry No 35

28 [ PRODUCT NEWS

Beautiful Balustrades, Stunning Staircases!

If the minimalist look to reflect the open plan nature of a modern building is required; if you need to maximise light to a large open atria; to reveal, not hide, a particular architectural feature in a historical building; make the most of a stunning view or simply add the “wow� factor, then a glass balustrade system could be your solution.

M&G Olympic Products Ltd specialise in the design, manufacture and nationwide installation of structural glass and glass infill balustrade systems and associated metalwork, including staircase manufacture.

M&G Olympic Products Ltd has an impressive track record of delivering projects to a variety of clients in the Public and Private sector.

Previous projects include prestigious commercial and residential developments, universities, colleges and schools, hospital facilities, MOD facilities, sports and leisure facilities, national pools and football training facilities. Previous clients include Major Building Contractors, Architects, and Local Authorities.

As part of a comprehensive package M&G Olympic Products Ltd provide a Project Management service. The team has a wide experience gained over many years and has the ability to help identify the best method of completing a project in an efficient and cost effective manner. The Design Team works with customers during the

early stages of any project to undertake site surveys and produce design solutions, creating an end result to fully satisfy all criteria laid down by the client. The designers and will ensure that all plans comply with all relevant British Standard Regulations where required.

All products are manufactured at the company’s two-factory site in the centre of Sheffield which is constantly enhanced with investment in the latest state-of-the-art design and production equipment. As part of the commitment to delivering projects to specified timescales and within budget M&G Olympic Products ensure that quality is never compromised.

M&G Olympic Products has built up an excellent working relationship with manufacturers of other architectural products such as joinery and glazing companies, providing customers with complete turnkey solutions.

The experienced installation teams complete the package to ensure that M&G Olympic Products Ltd provide the client with high quality from concept to completion.

Enquiry No 36

PRODUCT NEWS [ 29

www.mgolympic.co.uk

30 [ PRODUCT NEWS

www.sikaconstruction.co.uk

Trust Sika To Protect Your Car Park With Its Survey Service Keeping car parks in good condition is a great way to improve the visitor’s experience and keep them coming back. The vital revenue that this generates can be used for future maintenance to help keep future running costs down whilst also ensuring the structure is safe for users.

But how can we prevent the deterioration of the nation’s aged car park structures? Sika can help protect your investment by offering a one stop shop service that includes a car park survey and market leading repair and maintenance products.

The importance of maintaining and repairing car parks was reinforced 14 years ago when a section of Pipers Row Car Park in Wolverhampton – built in 1965 – collapsed during the early hours of March 1997. With many other concrete car parks in the UK also built in the 1960s, the majority of these older car parks are now in need of extensive and crucial repairs.

Sika has supplied a supporting service and materials on a number of these projects, because clients need to protect the value of their asset and owners have a legal responsibility to make sure the car park is safe.

A whole host of things can damage car parks and cause cracking and corrosion, in turn reducing its carrying capacity and the lifespan of the structure. This general deterioration can be noticed by an experienced person, but often the more serious underlying damage can’t be seen with the naked eye. Whatever the case, as part of the car park service, Sika’s technical team visit the site and produce a detailed survey that highlights the immediate issues as well as the need for more in-depth testing.

As suppliers of specialist car park refurbishment materials, Sika offers a wide range of products and up front services, including a visual site report. Following this, Sika can help develop a full repair strategy, including budgets and written proposals for clients, surveyors or engineers to draw up tender documents.

Life Care Plans Sika can assist in this early work and helps clients implement life care plans as introduced in 2002 following the Pipers Row collapse when The Institute of Civil Engineers (ICE) released the document – Recommendations for the Inspection, Maintenance and Management of Car Park Structures. The office of the Deputy Prime Minister also had

a leading consultant produce the document – Enhancing the Whole Life Structural Performance of Multi-Storey Car Parks – in response to Pipers Row. Sika offers a full survey service, recommends testing and then discusses minor repairs or a full refurbishment programme, as well as long term plans to keep the car park well maintained. For clients without the budgets to pay for such plans, Sika provides a free service to fully survey the structure and produce a report for further discussion and planned maintenance. Sika has undertaken such work on over 100 structures and provided best practice advice with budgets to help plan the works in the most economical way.

Planned Maintenance Condition surveys can help to put a plan in place so that one knows how to arrest further deterioration. Sika will always tell clients they do not have to do the work in a single year, enabling budget planning and a longer term programme of improvements. Sika can help engineers and surveyors, along with their clients, to tailor the solutions to meet specific requirements and limited budgets. Treating the urgent areas and monitoring corrosion to identify hot spots will give the client added peace of mind.

Along with conditions surveys, Sika offers independently certified presentations that look at causes of deterioration, corrosion control, including carbonation, chloride attack and water ingress and gives examples of remedies and measures to prevent corrosion including waterproofing coatings, concrete repair systems, electrochemical techniques and anti-carbonation coatings in line with the BS EN 1504 standards.

Whatever the cause of the structural deterioration, Sika will identify the product or treatment needed. Whether it’s the right admixtures for your concrete, choosing the correct waterproofing solution, installing the perfect joint sealants or protecting your concrete against corrosion – with its car park survey service, Sika will find the solution.

Enquiry No 37

PRODUCT NEWS [ 31

www.neaco.co.uk

Neaco Introduce Lifetime Guarantee On Entire Product Range Yorkshire-based architectural metalwork specialists Neaco have introduced a new Lifetime Guarantee across their entire range of handrail, balustrade, balcony, aluminium open grille and assisted bathing products. Purchasers of Neaco products can now visit Neaco’s website to register for the Lifetime Guarantee and obtain full Terms & Conditions relating to their order. Neaco’s national sales manager, Richard Richardson-Derry, commented on its benefits “As Neaco approach our 40th year in the construction industry the time is right to add an official seal of quality to our well-earned reputation for excellence in design and manufacturing. I believe that no other rival product range offers a Lifetime Guarantee that bears comparison with the terms provided

by Neaco’s. It will provide peace of mind to architects, developers, contractors, specifiers and end users across the UK.” All Neaco products are precision engineered at the company’s factory in Malton, North Yorkshire, with full delivery and on-site installation services provided. The company’s diverse portfolio includes assisted bathing facilities, aluminium open grille systems, solar shading, modular handrail and balustrade systems, Juliet balconies, step-out balconies and structural glass.

Enquiry No 38

32 [ PRODUCT NEWS

Shackerley Ceramic Granite Adds Extra Sheen To Landmark Healthcare Building Gleaming ceramic granite ventilated facade systems supplied by Shackerley have provided an exceptionally high standard of aesthetic finish, inside and out, at the UK’s first dedicated organ transplantation centre.

The new state-of-the-art Institute of Transplantation at Newcastle upon Tyne’s Freeman Hospital, built by BAM at a cost of over £25m, is one of only four such medical centres of excellence in the world.

Shackerley’s Sureclad ventilated cladding has not only helped Ryder Architecture to deliver a landmark healthcare building for The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust: the facility to install thermal and acoustic insulation within the air cavity behind the facades has also helped the project team to achieve a BREEAM standard of ‘Very Good’ for their client.

Polished ceramic granite was specified as an exterior cladding finish for the building because of its premium aesthetic qualities and its durable hardwearing and low maintenance characteristics. Ryder’s architects

had employed Shackerley’s Sureclad facade systems to great effect on other prestigious projects, and the Trust also had previous experience of using ceramic granite at the hospital.

A highly polished white ceramic granite facade panel was selected to clad the enclosed courtyard at the heart of the facility which provides an oasis for staff and visitors and a pleasing aspect for the patients being treated in the surrounding clinical spaces. With its reflective ceramic cladding and pastel tinted fenestration the appearance of the courtyard is continually changing in response to the prevailing weather conditions.

The same highly polished white ceramic granite panel has also been used ‘frame’ the main entrance to the building, and to provide visual continuity the architects have used the same panel and facade system to provide sleek , reflective ‘floor to ceiling’ wall cladding. A contrasting ceramic granite panel, again with a highly polished finish but this time in charcoal black, has also been employed to clad adjacent elevations

PRODUCT NEWS [ 33

www.shackerley.com/cladding

and lift lobbies on each floor of the building, providing maximum dramatic effect.

All the exterior and interior ceramic cladding was installed on behalf of BAM by roofing and facade installation specialist Keyclad, part of the Bowmer & Kirkland Group.

Ryder Architecture Associate Mike Melia said: “The Trust was determined that the new building should leave staff, patients and visitors in no doubt that this is a world leading healthcare facility providing groundbreaking medical treatment and unrivalled standards of patient care. We were not constrained by preconceptions of how a hospital should look, and were urged to specify premium quality materials throughout.

“We knew that we could rely on Shackerley’s ceramic granite to deliver a high quality finish for internal and external elevations, but when we saw the finished results we were really pleased how attractive it looked, particularly in the reception and courtyard.”

Steven Bannister, Director of Estates and Facilities for the Trust agreed: “Ryder Architecture understood our requirements intimately - in terms of space, light, finishes and standards. I am delighted to say that they have exceeded all our expectations, especially where the interior and exterior cladding finishes are concerned.

“Our new facility really is top class. It makes a bold and unequivocal statement about the confidence and pride the Trust has in its world leading transplantation services and the quality of patient treatment and care we are able to offer.”

Enquiry No 39

Arch Timber Protection Balances Protection And Sustainability At The Netherlands Institute For Ecology The Netherlands Institute for Ecology (NIOO-KNAW) is now housed in a purpose-built timber and glass building designed to the highest standards of sustainability, and fire retardants from Arch Timber Protection, a Lonza company, are safely protecting the building and staff at the site.

Timber is a crucial and significant element in the new building and thermally-modified Plato WOOD, produced from sustainable spruce, has been used for external beams and cladding. These components are protected using Arch’s NON-COM Exterior, a polymer-based fire retardant to provide a proven and highly effective surface spread of flame protection. Interior Plato WOOD spruce timbers used in the public areas of the building are also fire retardant-protected with Arch’s DRICON, a water-based fire retardant treatment. The timber and the DRICON treatment have been supplied by Foreco Dalfsen.

The timbers for NON-COM Exterior protection had to be accurately produced and then carefully shipped in segments to the UK, treated by Arch and then shipped back to the site for construction.

Arch Timber Protection BV general manager, Arno van Oosten, says: “NON-COM Exterior is the only leach resistant fire retardant pressure treatment available on the European market. This added an extra step to the building process because everything had to be mapped out in great detail and prepared before it could be sent over for treatment by Arch in the UK. However, we were

able to work directly with the timber supplier and builder and make sure that all the steps were as cost-effective as possible.” Claus & Kaan Architects designed the building according to the cradle-to-cradle (C2C) ecologically-sound building concept.

Company: Arch Timber Protection

Enquiry No 40

Location: The Netherlands Institute for Ecology

Product: Fire Retardent

More information: www.archtp.com

Foremans Launches Ground-Breaking Customer Charter And Assurance For Delivering Every Project On Time – An Industry First Foremans Relocatable Building Systems, the UK’s largest supplier of recycled and refurbished modular buildings, has launched a ground-breaking Customer Charter which it believes is an industry first.

The new Charter provides an assurance that every building purchased from Foremans will be delivered on time and ready for beneficial occupation. However, in the unlikely event that the agreed completion date is not achieved, Foremans will now refund 1 per cent of the contract value for every week a project is delayed*. This commitment is believed to be a first for the construction sector.

Commenting on this pioneering initiative, Mike Williams, Managing Director of Foremans, said “Companies across the industry claim to offer quality products and services, but we wanted to go a step further by giving our customers even greater peace of mind. We believe our new Customer Charter commitment will set a benchmark in the modular building sector – and indeed across the construction industry, and is further evidence of our confidence that every Foremans building will be delivered consistently on programme, on budget and to the highest standards.”

Analysis of Foremans’ performance over the last three years has shown that it has successfully completed 99 per cent of its projects on time and on cost. This performance

is in sharp contrast to new industry figures released by Constructing Excellence which have shown that just 63 per cent of projects delivered in the past year were on budget, and only 45 per cent were completed on programme (source: UK Industry Performance Report 2011, Constructing Excellence/Glenigan).

Company: Foremans Relocatable Building Systems

Foremans scored 94 per cent for service and building quality in its last 200 customer satisfaction surveys, and 100 per cent of its customers said they would recommend Foremans buildings. More than 80 per cent of Foremans’ business is also from past customers – another significant endorsement of its outstanding customer service and accommodation solutions.

Every Foremans building is fully refurbished off site at one of its two production centres. Only the steel structure of the building is recycled, adding even more value to the pre-owned modular approach and reducing programme times by up to 70 per cent compared to new build and new manufacture.

More information: www.foremansbuildings.info

The buildings are reconfigured to exact project requirements and specification, and fitted with new windows, external cladding, wall linings, partitions, M&E services, doors and flooring, creating high quality accommodation for a range of permanent and interim uses.

Product: Relocatable Building Systems

Foremans building solutions also meet the requirements of the revised Building Regulations Part L2A 2010 (England and Wales) and Section 6 2010 (Scotland). *Up to a maximum of 5 weeks. For projects where Foremans’ contract value is in excess of £500,000, Foremans will refund a full £5,000 for every week late, up to a maximum of £25,000. Other contract terms apply.

Enquiry No 41

All Aboard With Forbo’s Entrance Flooring Systems As part of one of the single largest entrance mat contracts ever placed in Europe, involving safety upgrades to nine British Network Rail stations across the country, Manchester Piccadilly has recently been fitted with Forbo’s Nuway Tuftiguard HD and Coral Brush Activ entrance flooring.

Manchester Piccadilly station accommodates over 98 million people per year so the entrance flooring products specified had to meet all safety concerns and perform to the highest level of functionality whilst adding to the aesthetics of the station.

Master Matting Installations in Halifax, an approved Forbo Entrance Systems Specialist Installer (FESSI), was subcontracted by Amco to carry out the installations.

Director Sam Webb comments: “The main priority was safety, so the project required a heavy duty entrance barrier matting system for internal use that would be highly effective at removing and retaining moisture and dirt within the entrance system to prevent any hazardous areas on the interior floor that people might slip on - a key consideration for all publicly accessed buildings. The heavy and frequent traffic throughout the station includes wheeled vehicles and heavy suitcases, so another requirement for the flooring was the load bearing capabilities and performance, whilst achieving an aesthetically pleasing appearance.”

Forbo’s Nuway Tuftiguard HD classic, an engineered product with a heavy pile double wiper strip and unique aluminium scraper bar design, proved ideal for this application. Pivotal in protecting people from slips, this highly effective entrance flooring system is the best method of preventing wet and dry soiling from causing serious hazards. It can withstand static loads of up to 900kg/cm² and has a level surface for ease of movement of wheeled vehicles and luggage making it suitable for use in the most heavily trafficked passenger interchanges.

Whilst Nuway Tuftiguard HD was used in the areas with the heaviest footfall, Coral Brush Activ anthracite, an attractive and hardwearing ‘clean off’ entrance flooring product was used in areas at the side of the entrances where lighter traffic was anticipated. This zoned approach recommended by Forbo was adopted as the most cost effective way to achieve the optimal level of soil removal and moisture absorption throughout the entrance areas.

Sam Webb said: “We have worked with Forbo Flooring Systems for more than 20 years and have no hesitation in recommending them to our clients. We have always been very impressed with the professional service and high quality, high performance products.”

Peter Rock, Project Manager at Network Rail, states: “With the amount of people entering the station at any one time, safety is our number one concern. Having had

Company: Forbo Product: Nuway Tuftiguard HD and Coral Brush Activ Entrance Flooring Location: Manchester Piccadilly Station More information: www.forbo-flooring.co.uk/ moreinfo

Forbo’s effective Entrance System products installed by a FESSI contractor, we are confident that the entrance areas will effectively keep the interior floor surfaces clean and dry to minimise the likelihood of slips and retain its smart appearance for many years to come.�

Enquiry No 42

40 [ PROJECT NEWS

www.nibe.co.uk

NIBE Ground Sourced Heat For Cowper Farm Cottage During a recent conversion, a delightful two bedroomed cottage at Cowper House Farm was totally refurbished and transformed with the addition of a two bedroom extension, living room and a conservatory at the rear. At the planning stage the owners decided to install central heating from a renewable source and, as a further way of conserving energy, converted the existing 9” brickwork to a cavity wall construction.

Steven Bowes Building & Roofing Contractor of Darlington, who carried out the conversion work, called on HT Energy Ltd, another local company based in Swainby, to design a suitably eco-friendly heating system. Since the cottage has a large open area to the rear, HT Energy devised a ground sourced system involving the burial of some 500 metres of ground looped plastic piping at a depth just below the frost level, around one metre in the cold North Country. Filled with an antifreeze solution, the pipe is linked to a NIBE F1245 8kW Heat Pump handily sited in the double garage near the cottage’s back door.

The solution is warmed by the solar warmth permanently stored in the soil and is passed through to the heat pump where it is harvested into the pump’s closed system containing a refrigerant that converts liquid to gas at a comparatively low temperature. Passing through the pump’s highly efficient compressor very sharply raises the temperature before a condenser is employed so that the resulting heat can be passed into

the super-insulated hot water cylinder (situated beside the heat pump) ready for use. The F1245, one of NIBE’s new generation of pumps, is one of the most efficient on the market and as well as generating maximum heat it also cuts CO2 emissions to an absolute minimum.

HT Energy, a NIBE registered VIP installer, linked the unit into the underfloor heating system on the ground floor and to the radiator heating on the first floor and the heat pump will also supply the domestic hot water requirements of the entire house. The F1245 heat pump is contained in a nicely styled unit only 1800 x 600 x 625mm in size with exceptionally clear and easily accessed controls.

The unit incorporates an immersion heater in case of exceptional hot water demand coinciding with peak central heating usage but experience indicates that it is unlikely to be required. Steven Bowes, main contractor for the conversion was delighted at the ease and rapidity with which the ground sourced heating system was installed.

Enquiry No 43

PROJECT NEWS [ 41

Vicaima Chosen For Palace Restoration Following a major refurbishment of the Palacio das Cardosas, this former 18th century palace in the heart of Porto city centre has become the Intercontinental Porto, a luxurious 5 star hotel where Vicaima Classic Range doors grace the elegant and sumptuous interior.

Vicaima were specifically chosen because of their ability to produce custom made interior door systems that would blend seamlessly with the historical décor, while at the same time providing exemplary levels of performance as demanded by the latest premier hotels. The Vicaima EI30 AC40dB Portaro with 30 minute fire resistance and 40 dB acoustic reduction met the stringent specifications. This was further enhanced by the use of premium walnut veneer and white lacquered faces to harmonize both exterior and interior room aspects. In addition to providing hotel room solutions, Vicaima doors were also used in other parts of the hotel including double doors with 30 minute fire resistance for corridors and 60 minute fire protection for emergency exits. As a finishing touch Vicaima were also asked to provide the hotel’s connecting door with the famous Astoria Café to ensure the overall theme matched throughout. www.vicaima.com Enquiry No 44

Solarpack’s Packaged Power Solarpack [UK] Ltd, based in Rochester in Kent, is a company specialising in preparing solar packages made up from components from the best manufacturers worldwide. Just such a package was recently installed on the south-facing roof aspect of a two-storey home in Falklands Place in nearby Chatham, generating power for the house with the attractive bonus of selling any surplus electricity back to the Grid.

The basis of the package is six FTS240 photovoltaic modules linked to provide a total output of 1.47kWp. Made in Portugal by Fluitecnic these panels employ the latest technology, are rated to an impressive 15% efficiency and carry a 10 year manufacturer’s guarantee plus an unusually full power warranty. The panels are fixed using the premium all-in-one Diconal system made by the German company Conteca GmbH and the international flavour is completed by a PV grid-tied inverter made by Samil Power in the Peoples’ Republic of China. This string inverter, in the Solar River [SR] series, is extremely efficient, reliable and flexible in use.

The components of the Solarpack system were chosen on site in consultation with the owner of the property in Falklands Place and fitted by Ball Contractors of Ashford, who were impressed by the ease of installation. The owner is delighted with his solar package, which is fully living up to his high expectations at the design stage. www.solarpack-uk.com Enquiry No 45

42 [ PROJECT NEWS

www.americanhardwood.org

Communion Design Bring American White Oak To St. Peter’s Centre St Peter’s Church is situated at the centre of Peterchurch, a rural community in the heart of the Golden Valley populated by just 800 people.

The existing church dates from the 10th century, but during the works, foundations for what was thought to be an earlier building located nearer the River Dore were discovered. Last updated in the Victorian period, the grade I listed church required a 21st century re-order to create a sustainable multi-use community building, and Communion Design under director Alex Coppock was instructed to undertake the design and deliver the project.

The design brief had to include service delivery centre for children’s services through a Sure Start programme, accommodate a public lending library, and provide a community event space as well as a sacred worship space for Anglican services.

Alex Coppock said, “Due to the sensitive nature of the site in both conservation and religious terms, we endeavoured to change as little as possible about the existing building and sought to reduce to an absolute minimum the facilities required to deliver the brief by ensuring they were absolutely fit for purpose.”

A wood pellet boiler, kitchen and accessible WC, stair and lift access to first floor balcony, and cleaners area were all installed. To minimize impact, all facilities were designed to be contained within freestanding timber boxes, clad in American white oak. When in use, the boxes are opened, allowing the existing spaces to be almost instantly transformed from 12th century patterns of worship to modern and contemporary uses. Once the activities are finished, the boxes are closed and the space returns to sacred silence. The timber boxes were designed as lightweight, freestanding and reversible insertions within the existing space and

considerable care was taken to ensure these constructions comply with the fire regulations. Structurally, the boxes are constructed from 125x75mm softwood stud work, braced with 19mm plywood sheathing.

Alex Coppock explains, “Careful detailing of the frame ensured absolute structural stability. The frame bears onto a timber soleplate, which bears directly onto the reinforced slab which prevented the need for intrusive excavations in a very archeologically sensitive site.”

The outer cladding was designed to be specific to each box. The largest and most complex is located at the West end of the chancel, which houses the kitchen, accessible WC, platform lift and plant room, and gives support to the oak staircase and first floor balcony with bridge to the new library. The cladding was formed from 20mm thick, 100mm wide American white oak boards, and the results have been exceptionally well received. Alex said, “American white oak was specified for the smoothness and straightness of its grain and the long term sustainable forestry management undertaken for US forests. We used white oak for all the vertical cladding and the bespoke furniture, and everyone is delighted with the results.”

Bespoke storage furniture was designed by Communion and constructed in white oak or clad in Portuguese cork, which created a display space for the children’s works within the nave of the church.

The project is an overwhelming success with its hugely popular lending library, a Sure Start centre which is achieving its full service delivery outcomes, and more, and a church which continues to be used as a place of worship for midweek and Sunday services. The church is also being regularly hired by many community groups.

Enquiry No 46

PROJECT NEWS [ 43

www.brick.org.uk/brick-awards

Lyric Theatre, Belfast Wins Top Medal In 2011 Brick Awards A new theatre overlooking the River Lagan in Belfast, has won this year’s award for the Best Public Building category at the 2011 Brick Awards and went on to beat off hundreds of competitors to take the prestigious Supreme Winner. The Awards were held at the Marriott Grosvenor Square Hotel in London on 2nd November.

The new Lyric Theatre opened in May 2011 and included the demolition of the existing theatre and the construction of a new building providing an auditorium, rehearsal, and studio together with technical facilities, a reception, bar / foyer, offices and an education room.

Architects O’Donnell + Tuomey won an international architectural competition held by the Lyric to design the new theatre facility, impressing the judging panel chaired by Bob Allies of Allies and Morrison who described the development as “an example of outstanding architectural commitment with beautiful interiors that cleverly links with the street scene”.

Built on an epic scale, the Lyric is sited between the surrounding Belfast brick streetscape and the serpentine parkland of the River Lagan. The new building holds one corner of the continuous system of brick streets and has been built brilliantly to match the surrounding local ‘Belfast brick’. Built by brickwork contractor, Gilbert Ash NI Ltd using Heritage Red Blend bricks from Ibstock, the natural day lighting of the building is both sustainable and enhances the brickwork.

The cleverly designed theatre is a constant surprise with new spaces at every level, a truly community building. The Brick Awards is one of Britain’s most respected design competitions. Organised by the Brick Development Association, the annual contest provides the definitive showcase for what brick can achieve. This year, there were a record number of entries, with projects from right across the globe.

In addition to the Supreme Award, there were 14 category awards, each showing excellence in different aspects of design and construction.

You can see pictures and find full details of the project teams on the BDA’s website.

Entries are now being invited for the 2012 Brick Awards. You can download entry forms from the BDA’s website or a hard copy can be requested by emailing brick@brick.org.uk or by calling 020 7323 7030.

Enquiry No 47

44 [ PROJECT NEWS

www.nibe.co.uk

NIBE Air Source & Solar Heat For Newton Hall Newton Hall is a magnificent early Georgian mansion standing in nearly 200 acres of parkland and woodland. The estate was for centuries owned by the Widdrington family, landowners with Northumberland connections going back to the 12th Century. Unfortunately the last Widdrington owner passed away in 2009 and, after being empty for over a year and somewhat neglected for some years before that, Newton Hall was bought by Paul Hindaugh, Managing Director of Hindhaugh Homes, with a view to restoring it to its former glory as a Country House for his family.

Unfortunately, since the Hall is a Listed property, replacing the original single glazed sash windows was not an option and the opportunities for insulation were limited, so one of Paul’s first priorities was to find an efficient heating system.

He calculated that, even with the latest technology, oil or LPG fired systems would cost over £2,000 a month to maintain at the even 21 degrees temperature he desired, so he handed the problem over to HT Energy Ltd of Northallerton, experts in renewable energy systems, winner of NIBE’s Installer of the Year Award in 2010 and a company with whom he already had an excellent professional relationship.

In consultation with Paul Hindhaugh, HT’s Howard Tribick immediately opted for an under-floor system to give evenly spread warmth throughout the large area required – no hot spots, no cold corners.

The next question was the optimum renewable heat source. Their first thought was of a ground sourced system but that was discarded due to the horrendous disruption that would be caused to Newton Hall’s beautifully kept formal gardens by drilling the ten boreholes required.

Instead HT designed an air sourced system powered by four NIBE F2015 Air/water heat pumps running in a cascade system which heated water and stored it in a super-insulated NIBE VPB 500 litres capacity cylinder supplying hot water for the several bathrooms and washrooms plus

the kitchens. The VPB500 was backed by another 500litre tank used entirely to source the under-floor heating throughout the house and maintain a steady 21 degrees regardless of other hot water demand.

One of the advantages of NIBE’s heat pumps is that they are specifically designed to work in parallel with solar power and it was decided to install three NIBE Solar FP215 P/PL panels on the slate roof of the Hall, sited on the South side of an interior courtyard and therefore invisible from ground level.

These were fed via a pump sited in the plantroom and a potable heat exchanger directly into the VPB cylinder and therefore required no separate control. A solar controller with a memory card to store historical data was, however, installed and the results when the whole system was working were remarkable. During April and May this year the three panels generated around 1,000 kwh to the hot water raising the water temperature to 65º degrees during the day. Since the air sourced heat pumps automatically cut out at this temperature, the savings in energy and therefore fuel costs were slashed!

Although it is early days to judge the total fuel bill for the water heating and central heating of Newton Hall, present indications are for a monthly cost not exceeding £300, quite a reduction from the £2,000 previously estimated.

The four NIBE F2015 Air/water heat pumps are controlled by an SMO10 and each room is linked in to the central system via its own thermostat. The Hall has open fires in most of the rooms, but these are for comfort’s sake, rather than a direct heat source and the effects of this variable heat are evened out by the rooms’ thermostats.

Enquiry No 48

PROJECT NEWS [ 45

Howe Green’s HG100 Channel Drain Keeps The Beer Flowing From Surrey Hills The Surrey Hills Brewery is an independent brewer with an awardwinning portfolio of beer and real ale. The company recently relocated to the prestigious Denbies Wine Estate in Dorking where over 20 metres of Howe Green’s HG100 linear channel drain was installed when existing estate buildings were refurbished and a new extension built on the site of the UK’s largest single estate vineyard. Biwater, the international water and wastewater specialist, specified the Howe Green HG100 channel drain in a custom-designed fermentation area to collect water from the many cleaning operations that happen throughout the production process. Made from stainless steel with a heavy duty anti slip ladder grating, Howe Green’s HG100 Channel Drain was installed at the new Surrey Hills plant with a 9mm sloping polyurethane screed floor with non-slip chips added for additional safety. www.howegreen.com Enquiry No 49

Sika Ensures Futuristic Swimming Pool Remains Watertight Sika Watertight Concrete was used on The Pods, a high quality, futuristic leisure centre, that has recently opened in Scunthorpe. This unique structure is made up with a collection of five giant timber framed domes. The swimming pool and training pool, the surrounding slab and the filter/plant room are all constructed using Sika Watertight Concrete, to ensure total watertightness. Tarmac, who supplied all the concrete on the project, supplied 600m3 of Sika Watertight Concrete.

The Sika Watertight Concrete admixture was added to the concrete in water-soluble bags designed to make production of the concrete much easier and quicker. The bags were simply added to the concrete mix through the back of the ready mix truck prior to leaving the plant.

This simple operation is fast and easy and ensures a correct dosage every time. Construction joints were sealed with the SikaSwell® jointing system, which consists of joint sealing profiles that expand on contact with water to seal any voids between adjoining concrete slabs and walls. www.sikawatertightconcrete.co.uk Enquiry No 50

New State-Of-The-Art Community Centre Protected By Charter Security Shutters Charter-Integr8 security shutters from Charter Specialist Security have been installed in the new Eastpoint Centre in Southampton - a state-of-the-art purpose-built combined community centre and training and conference facility serving the private, public and voluntary sectors. Replacing the Centre’s existing building in Thornhill, recognised as an area of social deprivation, the new Eastpoint Centre will continue to play a valuable role in the local community.

The new Centre’s iconic design provides a gateway building on the approach to Southampton from the east. It’s open, welcoming design, without fencing, encourages the community to use its facilities, but at the same time makes it vulnerable to vandalism. To protect these impressive new premises, Charter-Integr8 security shutters from Charter Specialist Security have been installed to all ground floor doors and windows, including the car park entrance and the lift which opens to the outside of the building.

Charter-Integr8’s ability to work with the varying heights of windows, doors and openings, and its ability to integrate with curtain walling systems was a determining factor for the Centre’s architects Atkins who specified the product. The Charter-Integr8 design concept is based on shutter mechanics integrated into the fabric of the building, ensuring unobtrusive and enhanced aesthetics with increased security. In the raised position, the shutter is completely concealed from view - even with the high areas of glazing due to the very compact hood box detail. In the lowered position, the shutter ensures effective resistance against intruder attack. Furthermore, the absence of visible guide rails or boxes limits the potential for effective attack on the system. www.chartergroupuk.com Enquiry No 51

46 [ PROJECT NEWS

Sika Concrete Repair System Provides Loving Care To George Loveless House The London Borough of Hamlets needed a proven means of repairing the damage and protecting the steel reinforcement of two of its twelve storey residential buildings. Global Engineering Design Associates specified a range of concrete repair products from Sika. Sika’s Armocrete was used to repair large sections of the building columns while all the exposed concrete and brick surfaces on the building were protected by SikaGard 702W. On soffits and parapet walls, the flexible anti-carbonation coating SikaGard 675W was used as a protective coating and smaller repairs were completed using the Sika Monotop Concrete Repair system. Another vital requirement was the sealing of all joint repairs on the blocks to create a water and air tight building envelope which saw the use of Sikaflex AT Connection, a one part moisture curing elastic sealant based on Hybrid Polyurethane technology. To complete the repairs, the balcony decks were repaired with Sikafloor Pronto. www.sikaconstruction.co.uk Enquiry No 52

Tormax 4-Wing Revolving Entrance Gives Easy Access For All Reflecting the ethos of Kent County Councils’ new Ashford Gateway building, the four wing revolving entrance system from TORMAX is combined with an iMotion® automatic swing side door, providing easy and efficient access for all potential visitors to the vast array of public and voluntary services. Driven by the powerful TORMAX 5201 Universal operator, the aesthetically impressive revolving door offers low maintenance operation combined with a high level of functionality. Minimising the heat loss whilst maintaining the internal ambient temperature, a self-explanatory menu on the service computer allows door speed to accurately reflect external weather conditions as well as changing levels of foot traffic. Giving visitors an alternative access route, the automatic swing door incorporates the iMotion 1301 synchronous motor. www.tormax.co.uk Enquiry No 53

Talon Gives A Neighbourly Cover Up Neil Ellwood, Managing Director of Solarpack, recently completed the decoration of his brand new showroom in Rochester in Kent. With his solar panels displayed on the walls against a warm background décor of cinnamon and gold, the effect was warm and tasteful but somewhat spoiled by unsightly electric terminals and cables. That was before Talon Manufacturing became involved. Talon’s Commercial Director, Don Theobald had an instant answer to the problem since his company’s products include a range of Cover Profiles that could have been made for the job. For the main part of the ‘cover up’ a uPVC box cover 200 x 200mm was installed horizontally at ground level, raised further by the insertion of an extension strip 50mm high and firmly fixed by a joint strip. The box’s standard 3 metre length was increased by a further metre by the addition of another cover simply sawn to the required size and almost seamlessly finished with a stop end. The resultant boxed cover not only concealed all exposed cables but also provided unobtrusive siting for several electrical sockets on the vertical face as well as forming an excellent display shelf on the horizontal surface. www.talon.co.uk Enquiry No 54

Photograph shows on right Don Theobold (Commercal Director, Talon) on left Neil Ellwood (MD Solarpack)

PROJECT NEWS [ 47

Skyfold Vertical-Folding Partition System Installed At New Council Offices The newly-constructed headquarters for Melton Borough Council includes a modern suite available for community events. Maximising use of the space, Style was commissioned to install two Skyfold automatic, vertical-folding partitions allowing the area to be quickly reconfigured from a single function room into three separate facilities.

Style’s expertise and careful attention to detail at the installation stage, coupled with Skyfold’s unique design criteria, delivers a system that offers superior acoustic performance of up to Rw56dB. The exceptional privacy levels achieved for all users of the suite is unsurpassed by conventional moveable partitions.

Aiming for a ‘very good’ BREEAM rating, Melton’s new council office is an environmentally friendly, bright, clean and energy efficient building.

Customers benefit from a range of accessible, co-ordinated services provided not only by the Borough Council but from a range of other public bodies who also occupy the space based on neighbourhoods, in a fully flexible working environment.

Style was introduced to the project by architects, Archial and contractor, Hallam Contracts, to propose a solution that would allow the function suite to be utilised to maximum effect. Unlike traditional sliding partitions, the Skyfolds do not take up any valuable floor space when not in use. Instead they are neatly housed within the ceiling cavity, being automatically raised and lowered through a simple turnkey operation. Delivering outstanding acoustic performance, the Skyfolds more than met the requirements of Melton Borough Council. www.style-partitions.co.uk Enquiry No 55

Arch’s Fire Retardant Helps Kettering Go CarbonLight Arch Timber Protection, a Lonza company, is playing a part in the fight against climate change by providing fire protection for the wood cladding in two new zero carbon homes. The buildings, in Kettering, Northants, are roofed and clad with Western Red Cedar shingles that are protected with Arch’s leach-resistant, polymer-based Non-Com Exterior fire retardant treatment.

As well as being environmentally-friendly, the two wood-clad buildings are elegant and striking.

The three- and four-bedroom semi-detached CarbonLight Homes are part of VELUX’s Europe-wide Model Home 2020 project.

The open-plan houses are designed to be energy-efficient and sustainable, with high levels of daylight, natural ventilation and renewable technologies, as well as being attractive, practical and affordable for both residents and housebuilders. The CarbonLight Homes are thought to be among the first built to the UK government’s definition of zero carbon, delivering a 70% reduction in carbon emissions on-site, with the remaining 30% of carbon emissions offset by allowable solutions.

The buildings were designed by HTA Architects, and the shingles were fitted by Reed Roofing Midlands. John Brash’s Western Red Cedar shingles are 100% heartwood, 100% edge grain and 100% clear, with a guaranteed lifespan of around 40 years. This makes them lightweight yet robust. www.archtp.com Enquiry No 56

48 [ PROJECT NEWS

www.corian.co.uk

Naples Inaugurates A Super-Colorful And Dynamic Subway Station Designed By Karim Rashid Naples, the Southern Italian city with the largest historic centre in Europe dating back to the early Roman era, has now celebrated the opening of the new “Università” subway station, featuring vividly colorful, expressive and dynamic interiors conceived by New Yorkbased designer Karim Rashid.

M.N. Metropolitana di Napoli commissioned Atelier Mendini, the Italian architectural and design studio for the renovation project of the surrounding Bovio square, while for the subway station, the company selected Karim Rashid, who in turn chose DuPont™ Corian® hi-tech surfaces for a variety of sculptural wall and column cladding applications in four different levels of the station.

The new “Università” subway station is the first of five new stations integrating Naples’ subway line 1, which serves strategic areas of the city and is part of the “Art Stations” network devised by M.N. Metropolitana di Napoli. The “Art Stations”, each project conceived by internationally renowned architects, are characterised by wide, high-traffic, functional spaces, enriched both internally and externally by sculpture, installations and contemporary artworks.

Thousands of passengers daily can now quickly access the academic and multi-cultural area around the “Università” metro station while enjoying the inspiring interiors conceived by Karim Rashid. The first encounter with these decorative surfaces is at the mezzanine level of the new subway station, which is structured with four dramatically shaped columns clad with DuPont™ Corian® in the deep black Nocturne colour.

Situated close to the barriers, two of the columns display smooth sections, while the other two feature huge sculptural ‘3D profiles’ of abstract faces. Nearby, positioned between the barriers, the subway station control centre is also clad with DuPont™ Corian®, this time in the Glacier White colour choice, thermoformed and invisibly joined to create a massive, flared cylindrical structure. The monochromatic effect of the four black columns and the white control center contrasts effectively with the lively pop-art style graphics on the floor and the walls, the geometric “light cuts” on the ceiling and the high-impact “Synopsis” sculpture – all by Karim Rashid.

The fluid shapes, eye-popping colours and iconic symbols on the walls, distinctive of Karim Rashid’s signature style, are also made with DuPont™ Corian®. To add to an extensive chromatic selection for this high-performance surface, DuPont specially developed two new tones – lime and pink - in order to enable the designer to achieve his vision for this project. A connecting corridor is enhanced by sinuously shaped white walls that delightfully explore the creative flexibility made possible by cladding with DuPont™ Corian®.

The vast dimensions involved (approximately 100 metres), together with the wall’s irregular and organic curvature (with details discretely incorporated within), as well as the glossy finish, required highly skilled and complex fabrication. To ensure the optimum result, the precise expertise of bsolid, a Naples-based company specialised in the fabrication of DuPont™ Corian®, undertook the work. Embracing their environment with sleek, sensual fluidity, these curving walls create a powerful contrast to the further corridors that are clad with DuPont™ Corian® in vibrant pink and lime, created specifically for this project.

Enquiry No 57

PROJECT NEWS [ 49

www.selectaglaze.co.uk

Selectaglaze Help Put The “Green” In The UK-GBC The recent refit at the UK-GBC’s office in London’s Building Centre provided an opportunity to work with a range of specialists to implement practical, eco-friendly measurers to create a greener working environment for their staff, as well as creating a more energy efficient building. With buildings accounting for 44% of the UK’s total carbon emissions, UK-GBC aims to work with government and industry to create a more sustainable built environment and their own efforts to reduce their office’s environmental impact helps to demonstrate the pressing need to reduce the amount of energy used to heat buildings for both economic and environmental reasons.

The very large single glazed windows at the UK-GBC’s offices were a major source of heat loss and, as the building is Listed, replacement windows or double glazing were not an available option. The organisation therefore consulted Selectaglaze, the country’s leading specialist in secondary glazing, with a brief to reduce heat flow through the glass and eliminate draughts at the windows.

The 3M high windows were treated with a combination of Series 10 and Series 80 Horizontal Sliding secondary units set to match the window sightlines and glazed with single panes of toughened low emissivity glass. The U-value of the original windows was 6.5 and calculations using modelling software show this has reduced to 1.8 – a very significant improvement. In addition to the improvement in thermal insulation, the secondary glazing has provided a very significant reduction in noise, an important factor for inner city offices.

Following completion of the refit Ecoteric Ltd was commissioned by main contractor Morgan Lovell to carry out a BREEAM assessment measured against the BRE Environmental and Sustainability Standard,

BREEAM Offices 2008 (BES5055 Issue 3.0). The building achieved a BREEAM score of 73.75% which translates into an interim design stage BREEAM rating of Excellent. Rebecca Avery of the UK-GBC says: “The project’s greatest achievement has been that it has taken a 1930’s building and through improvement and good design and management it has achieved this outstanding rating”.

Refurbishment or upgrade projects are often “fast track”, requiring close co-operation between client, contractor, specialists and the professional team. Established in 1966 and a Royal Warrant Holder since 2004, Selectaglaze has a wealth of experience working on this basis in buildings up to Grade 1 listed. The company also offers a technical and specification advisory service to ensure the correct interface with other trades. Programmes are particularly important and proactive site surveys, linked to a modern production facility working on “Lean principles”, ensures projects are delivered on schedule.

New Energy Conservation Guidance Notes and fully updated Product Guide Selectaglaze recently launched a new Guidance Note on the ability of secondary glazing to improve a building’s energy performance together with a new comprehensive Product Guide demonstrating the range and diversity of styles available. Copies can be obtained from the Marketing Department on 01727 837271 or via the company’s website.

Enquiry No 58

50 [ PROject NEWS

www.cravendunnill-jackfield.co.uk

Theatre Royal Restores Treasured Matcham Interior With Jackfield’s Heritage Wall Tiles The Newcastle Theatre Royal has recently re-opened following a £4.75million renovation project, which has seen the theatre auditorium and public areas restored to the original 1901 Frank Matcham interior complete with rich burgundy and embossed decorative wall tiles and a geometric and encaustic tiled floor, all made by the specialist tile manufacturer Craven Dunnill Jackfield.

The theatre is one of only seven Grade 1 listed theatres in the country, and as such the work came under the scrutiny of English Heritage.

TheatreSearch, the Consultants over-seeing the project, recommended that the wall tiles were reinstated, as depicted on archive drawings of the original Frank Matcham design. The actual patterns and styles of tiles selected were influenced by those found at other theatres designed by Matcham, such as The Theatre Royal & Opera House in Wakefield and The Gaiety Theatre & Opera House in the Isle of Man. Whilst Craven Dunnill Jackfield is best known for its bespoke tile-making service, the company also offers a standard range of embossed, plain and decorative dado tiles, which are all historically accurate in style and still made using traditional techniques for an authentic look.

The embossed Leighton tile design in burgundy, cream and gold was selected as the decorative frieze element interspersed with plain

burgundy field tiles and edged with Dado and Dart tiles for the walls in the rear stalls and side walls in the main stalls. Beneath, plain burgundy tiles create a rich swathe of highly glossed colour down to the floor.

The effect is gloriously opulent and striking but also practical, as the tiles are robust and will withstand decades of wear and the touch of cream in the Leighton tiles is a useful safety feature when the house lights go down.

As part of the restoration project, a geometric and encaustic tiled floor has also been installed in one of the stall inner vestibules and up the stairs, which Craven Dunnill Jackfield hand-made. This features a pattern based on The Gaiety Theatre & Opera House, where a similar design is installed.

Craven Dunnill Jackfield scheduled the making of the tiles over a period of three months, to suit Robert Campbell, the tile contractor employed on the job. Having chosen tiles from Jackfield’s own range, the Theatre avoided the need for time-consuming design and manufacturing trials, and still achieved the authentic Matcham styling of the original 1901 building.

Enquiry No 59

PROject NEWS [ 51

Groundbreaking Ceremony Commences World-Class Development In Wigan Manchester-based building contractors, Tolent Construction, have commenced work on Wigan Boys and Girls Club, a new world-class youth centre which is the latest in a series of North West Youth Zone Projects set up by the newly established charity, OnSide.

The official groundbreaking ceremony was attended by OnSide patrons Martin Ainscough and Dave Whelan, the Youth Committee of the Wigan Youth Zone, local councillors, representatives from Austin-Smith:Lord architects and Tolent’s commercial manager, Peter Richardson. Due for completion in the summer of 2012, the 3,400-square metre development at Mesnes Field will provide recreational facilities, sport, music and art studios, a climbing wall, all-weather pitches and improved green public spaces. Wigan Boys and Girls Club will be the second North West Youth Zone Project built by Tolent Construction and is OnSide’s first youth centre to be largely funded by private sector money. The scheme is the brainchild of owner and chairman of Wigan Athletic Football Club, Dave Whelan, who has with Martin and Bill Ainscough, donated over half of the £6.5m costs.

“Tolent Construction are proud to be involved in such an important community project with this striking new accommodation at Wigan Boys and Girls Club,” said Tolent’s Peter Richardson. “With the backing of Wigan Council and the local business community, it will offer the young people of Wigan a huge range of positive activities together with access to targeted advice, guidance and support.” www.tolent.co.uk Enquiry No 60

Transparent Local Government Planet Partitioning has supplied a large quantity of specialist glazing for the atria and partition screening at Woolwich Civic Offices, the new contemporary headquarters for Greenwich council.

At a value of around £600,000, Planet supplied glazing for the main atriums and light wells, plus single-glazed silicone jointed walls for the office fronts with complementary glass and timber door sets.

Part of the Advanced Frameless Glazing portfolio from Planet, the silicone jointed solution is subtle and neat with a seamless flush finish which is perfect for creating modern office spaces.

Appointed by main contractor, Wates, the project was completed in Summer 2011 and was a challenging build for Planet requiring bespoke installation equipment in order to install the atrium and light well glazing. The overall design embraces the Government’s “better ways of working initiative” to deliver a building which provides modern, flexible and efficient workspace and inspire collaborative working and enhanced productivity. The 19,000+ SQM complex includes civic offices, service centres, public library, business centre and a public open space. www.planetpartitioning.co.uk Enquiry No 61

52 [ PROJECT NEWS

www.instarmac.co.uk

Ultrascape Provides First Class Sett In City Of Culture Ultrascape Pro-Bed HS, Pro-Prime and Flowpoint have been used to create a high-quality, vibrant and modern urban environment throughout Londonderry city centre.

The major regeneration project, designed by Civil and Structural Engineers BDP, is the most significant ever made in public space within the city and has created a modern, urban landscape in the heart of Londonderry. Shipquay Place and Waterloo Square were the focus of the redesign with the aim to increase pedestrian footfall and make these places attractive areas in which to meet and stay.

FP McCann was the contractor on the scheme and the construction work included upgrading drainage infrastructure, removing the old concrete block paving and replacing it with new granite paving, renewing street lighting, pedestrian crossings and the installation of a new digital 80 nozzle water feature with integrated lighting outside the Guildhall.

BDP in conjunction with URS Landscape, Civil & Structural Engineers and mechanical engineers JCP Consulting, required materials that conformed to BS 7533 part 12 for use on the scheme. Ultrascape’s Mortar Paving System is fully BS 7533 compliant and has been specified for use within many public realm projects over the years, giving the assurance associated with using proven established products. It also offers the reassurance of being independently tested by a UKAS accredited laboratory, which verifies its capabilities.

Ultrascape Pro-Bed HS Bedding Mortar in bulk, Pro-Prime Slurry Primer and Flowpoint rapid setting flowable grout were used by the main

contractor FP McCann, to lay the 14,000m² of granite flag paving and Caithness Stone.

Ultrascape Pro- Bed HS fine bedding concrete was supplied in 30 tonne bulk silos. Perfect for large schemes where high volumes of bedding concrete are required at the touch of a button. It provides a bedding base that conforms to the strict requirements of BS 7533.

Ultrascape Pro-Prime Slurry Primer is specifically formulated to provide an exceptional bond of greater than 2N/mm² between all types of stone. It only requires the simple addition of water before it can be applied to the stone elements.

Ultrascape Flowpoint rapid setting flowable grout, is formulated for early trafficking and can be poured over paved areas and simply washed away, with no risk of staining. It can be opened to foot traffic after only one hour due to its rapid setting properties.

Since the project’s completion, properties and businesses around the area have reported a 30% increase in turnover – proof that public realm projects really do help to stimulate the local economy.

For further information on Ultrascape Pro-Bed HS, Pro-Prime and Flowpoint or other products from the Ultrascape range, contact Brendan on 00353 87 21 28045 or email brendanc@instarmac.ie Ultrascape is a brand of the Instarmac Group plc.

Enquiry No 62

PROject NEWS [ 53

www.gilgendoorsystems.co.uk

Gilgen Provides Bespoke Sliding Doors For Checkpoint Security At Manchester Airport Gilgen Door Systems, has developed and installed bespoke sliding doors for new checkpoint security lanes at Manchester Airport. Gilgen installed the unique sliding doors that form part of new security gate systems. A total of ten gates have been installed five in terminal 1, three in terminal 2 and 2 in terminal 3 and form part of departure security systems that allow passengers to pass from landside to airside.

The new security checkpoints direct passengers through a turnstile and a magnetic body scanner leading to a glass pod, when a passenger passes the security check, one of the Gilgen sliding doors opens allowing the passenger to continue through to reclaim belongings scanned by baggage scanners. If they do not pass the security check the adjacent sliding door opens directing the passenger through to an area where further security checks are undertaken.

Each gate required two sets of two single sliding automatic doors.

Each door set is mounted on a single header operating system, but operate independently ensuring only the correct lane is opened enabling the closed door to form a screen to prevent passengers from walking through the wrong lane. The doors operate in conjunction with security gate system and provide an orderly and controlled

security checkpoint that optimises passenger throughput and security personnel resources. The system is also able to perform random security checks as required.

The bespoke SLX sliding door systems use intelligent Communication Bus (CAMBus) technology unique to Gilgen to enable remote interfacing with the security gate system. This system also ensures safe, reliable operation of the doors, exceeding current industry legislation.

Gilgen Door Systems has over 80 years international experience in the design, manufacture and installation of a leading range of commercial and industrial door systems. With regional centres across the UK, Gilgen also offers a nationwide repair and maintenance service. The company is a member of the Automatic Door Suppliers Association (ADSA).

Enquiry No 63

Craven Dunnill Jackfield Full Story: Page 50 www.cravendunnill-jackfield.co.uk